Egypt military backs diplomatic end to turmoil

The Egyptian military has called for a peaceful resolution to the country's political crisis

AFP: Gianluigi Guercia

Egypt's powerful military has thrust itself into the political crisis dividing the nation demanding dialogue and warning it would not permit events to take a "disastrous" turn.

Protests between president Mohamed Morsi's supporters and opponents, which left seven people dead and more than 640 injured last week, continued on Friday night.

A statement from the armed forces - the first since street protests against Mr Morsi erupted more than two weeks ago - said its duty was to protect national interests and secure vital state institutions and Egyptians could express their views "far from all displays of violence".

"The path of dialogue is the best and only way to reach agreement and achieve the interests of the nation and its citizens," the statement said.

"The armed forces affirm that dialogue is the best and only way to reach consensus.

"The opposite of that will take us into a dark tunnel with disastrous results - and that is something we will not allow."

The stark ultimatum underlined the seriousness of the crisis pitting Mr Morsi and his Islamist backers against the largely secular opposition alarmed at his expanded powers and efforts to push through a new constitution.

"The military establishment stands always with the great Egyptian people and insists on its unity," the statement said.

"We confirm that we support national dialogue and the path of democracy... to bring together all factions in the country."

The tens of thousands of Morsi foes who surged past tanks and barbed wire to reach the palace gates had dispersed by early Saturday, but a hard core stayed overnight in a score of tents.

The army deployed tanks outside the presidential palace to prevent further bloodshed.

Hands-off military

A military source said the statement did not signal any plan for a intervention in politics or a broad role on the streets.

The military's refusal to become embroiled in political disputes recalled its hands-off position during the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak early last year.

The statement contradicted an ominous report in the state newspaper Al-Ahram on Saturday which had said Mr Morsi's cabinet had approved a draft law allowing soldiers to arrest civilians to maintain public order, but that Mr Morsi had not yet signed it.

Mohammed Badie, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, which backed Mr Morsi in the June presidential election, gave a news conference renewing the call for dialogue but insisting that the "legitimacy" of the president's decisions be respected.

The opposition fears Mr Morsi's "power grab" and referendum aim to push the country towards a more Islamic state, based on the slender mandate he won in June.

Mr Morsi's backers in the Muslim Brotherhood, in turn, fear that the judiciary, with its many Mubarak-era appointees, is plotting to block their post-Mubarak reforms.

The president has struck a defiant public tone against the protests, defending both his decree and the referendum.

But in the past couple of days his Islamist-led camp has also made some conciliatory gestures to the mainly secular opposition.